Frequently Asked Questions FAQ Magnolia Clipping and Broadcast Monitoring Print Clipping Television Monitoring Media Analysis

Get all of the answers to your newspaper clipping related questions easily. Having been in business for over 100 years Magnolia does its best to anticipate all of your questions and provide answers to the most frequently asked questions here.

What media do you monitor?

All newspapers published in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Are there any news sources that you do not monitor?

Yes but not many, free classifieds and circulars, and some trade publications that are not relevant news in our coverage areas.

Can I call to find out more about a particular news article or source?

Of course! Our friendly and knowledgeable customer services reps are available to answer your questions 24/7/365.

Why should I use a traditional press clipping service instead of an online news monitoring service?

Many of our clients find that monitoring their news from online sources only misses much of what they need. The reason for this is because most of the larger newspapers put their online content behind a firewall, and many of the weekly newspapers simply can’t afford a complete online presence. For these reasons a PR professional or company can’t rely on finding most of their news from the web. In fact, as much as 70% of published news is not freely available online. This is why we offer the most comprehensive press clipping service in the our coverage area.

Will you send me the list of online media you monitor?

Our media list contains every news sources in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It includes most every newspaper (daily/weekly), consumer magazine, within the our coverage area It’s the most comprehensive media list available today — one of our family jewels that competitors have tried to get their hands on. So, we take great care to protect it.

What additional data is included with each clipping?

Each newspaper clipping that is found by Magnolia includes the paper name, date, city, county, state, as well as the circulation of that publication.

Can you monitor just a list of specific newspapers for us?

Absolutely! We can monitor by geography or type of publication. We can also create a custom media list for you. You provide us with the list of sites (news sources/publications) that you want us to monitor. Your search results will then contain articles only from those specific publications. Your custom list of media sources can be changed at any time.

Does Magnolia keep a news archive enabling searches for past articles?

Magnolia Clipping and Broadcast Monitoring Services stores our clients’ clips in “Print Clips Portal” for easy access. Call a Magnolia representative to discuss your needs: 601-856-0911.

Does Magnolia monitor radio news?

Yes! Magnolia records most local radio and performs speech-to-text radio monitoring of dozens local stations in our coverage area. In addition, Magnolia can perform custom national Radio searches with the top 50 markets in the U.S. Click here to find out more about Radio Monitoring

How do you deliver my clips?

Magnolia delivers all your notifications electronically. Standard delivery is once a day, in the morning, via e-mail. The daily e-mail alert contains a list of all your Television and Radio results found during the previous 24 hours. Each clip alert contains a short extract of the article with your key words highlighted, a link to the entire article, and detailed readership data about the news source. In addition to the daily email alert, Magnolia also delivers your clips each day into a password-protected online Television and Internet portal account on our website. Your clips are available at anytime from anywhere to anyone to whom you have given the username and password. This online database of your clips, called the “Print Clips Portal”, stores all your clips for as long as you are a client. Additional delivery options area available.

How accurate will my results be?

Magnolia provides clients with today’s most comprehensive and accurate news monitoring service within our coverage area. We run all results through a “triple filtering” process to achieve our extraordinary accuracy and relevance. For most clients, over 98% of delivered clips meet the search criteria. With our readers checking the clips before they are scanned and delivered. to make sure that they are accurate. However if you happen to receive a clip that does not meet the current criteria, Magnolia will credit your account and subtract the inaccurate clips from the next months invoice.

Do you deliver paper clips?

Yes, if you opt in to receive the print clippings you will receive them via USPS mail, sent out weekly . Our print service monitors over 1400 print publications and delivers clips electronically in a searchable digital file. Most companies have switched over from paper clips to electronic clips because the digital format is more efficient, more timely, and easier to manage than paper clips — and less expensive, too.

What time will I receive my clips?

With our standard once-a-day delivery, you can expect to receive your daily email alert before start of business, every single day, 7/365. The daily e-mail alert contains a list of all your clips found during the previous 24 hours. Print Clippings are mailed weekly.

Can I get press clips delivered more than once a day?

Yes! Magnolia offers an optional service that enables you to specify the times and frequency of clip delivery around the clock.

Can my co-workers also view the clips you send me?

We can include your co-workers on the distribution list for the daily email alert. That way, they automatically see the same results you see. You also have the option within Magnolia Print Clips Portal to login and download or share the clips.

What is the cost of the different services?

Our sales team will create a customized package based on your media monitoring needs. Contact us at 601-856-0911 for additional pricing information. You can also email us at mail@magnoliaclips.com

Is there a per clip charge?

Yes, depending upon the level of service that you are subscribed, this will determine the cost per clip. We strive to make sure that your keywords are achieving the most relevant results and find it particularly helpful to reassess your clipping needs ever so often to hone the search results to best suit your needs.

How many keywords can I use?

Magnolia does not limit the number of keywords or multi-word phrases per search. However as a matter of practicality, all of the search terms must be related somehow to each other. For instance, of you are a PR Agency, we do not allow piggy-backing multiple clients into one account. We will need to set up a separate account for that. If it is a different client for you then that set of keywords needs to have a separate account.

How do I change my keywords?

Clients can change or make additions to their keyword queries at any time by contacting their Account Representative at 601-856-0911 or mail@magnoliaclips.com.

How quickly will I receive my clipping after publication?

Since Magnolia is a human clipping service, the process is highly labor intensive. In addition, the fact that all of the papers are mailed to our central location, the USPS plays a roll in how quickly we receive the papers. Most newspapers send out their newspapers by Parcel mail, which is 3-5 business days delivery. Then the reading, marking, clipping, filing scanning, and uploading the clips may take up to 10 business days from the date that we receive the papers until they are made available to you.

Do you offer a free trial?

We do for certain services! (newspaper clippings excluded) Potential clients may take advantage of our free 14 day Free Trial by filling out the trial order form on our website, or if you prefer, your Magnolia Account Representative will take your free trial order over the phone (601-856-0911). You can choose the service and coverage level and monitor with your own keywords for a full two weeks at no charge whatsoever. Start by contacting their Account Representative at 601-856-0911 or mail@magnoliaclips.com.

Is a long-term contract required?

No! The superior quality of Magnolia’s service is that we do not require an annual contract. Magnolia is a monthly service. Clients are free to cancel at any time after the first 30 days and we will prorate the service. Even with these lenient cancellation policies, Magnolia’s turnover rate is extremely low. Most clients choose to stay with Magnolia for many years. However many time we can negotiate a better rate if we do have a annual contract in place.

What is the cancellation policy?

Magnolia requires a 14 day notice to cancel your account. this allows us to clear the systems of any clippings that are in process and deliver them to you. We will prorate the account, count the clippings and send your final invoice.

What is the minimum time that I can subscribe?

Magnolia requires a 2 month minimum due to the fact that the newspapers are delivered on a delay. This allows us to deliver all of the clippings for that relevant time period to you.

How long does it take to start the service?

After a thorough interview to determine your exact news monitoring search parameters, our trained staff will formulate a strategy to get you the print articles you need from all the media sources in your desiged coverage area. Not only are we reading the daily newspapers, but in most states we are covering all of the weekly newspapers as well.  Now it is true that not all newspapers are available for press clippings, but Magnolia can track more daily and weekly newspapers than anyone else in our coverage area. Also, with access to multiple media types from around the world, Magnolia can be your one stop shop for all news monitoring needs. Contact us to discuss your specific needs and costs. Almost any search received in our office before close of business will be up and running for within 5 business days. depending upon the type of service, clients could receive their first email clip report the morning after they submit the order.

How does your service compare to the free Google News service?

Many companies that used Google News in the past now realize that free services no longer match the quality and features of subscription media monitoring services. Google News has begun to show issues since Google killed Google Reader in early March 2013. Dedicated users immediately noticed. The Financial Brand spoke out against Google Alerts’ declining effectiveness, even retracting its previous approval of the product: “Google Alerts was once a very important and efficient tool to monitor mentions of your brand on the web. It is now so unreliable that it has been rendered effectively useless.” In addition, Google News only offers monitoring of online news. With integrated services like Magnolia Clipping and Broadcast Monitoring, companies can receive clips from blogs, Twitter, Facebook, message boards, video-sharing websites like YouTube and TV and radio clips. Users can also receive detailed measurement data for thorough analysis on audience reach and market penetration. Magnolia can bundle these services for a cost-effective, comprehensive Print, Television, Radio, Internet ansd Social media monitoring solution.

Do you offer customization of services?

Yes! Magnolia can create totally customized media monitoring packages to fit your needs and budget. If our coverage doesn’t include a news source you need, we can add it to our media list. Magnolia welcomes feedback and client inquiries on specialized or customized media monitoring services. We are happy to discuss your needs and try to adjust the Magnolia Clipping and Broadcast Monitoring Services to meet your specialized requirements. Contact us at mail@magnoliaclips.com or 601-856-0911.